Casting Michael Caine as Alfred is a boon to the rumor-driven press, as he can't seem to keep his mouth shut. The British actor told Sci Fi Wire that director Christopher Nolan is eyeing Viggo Mortensen for an antagonist to the Christian Bale's Batman. Cain also talked a little about the script, saying, "We start when Batman is a baby, so I'm more like a father ... I'm a father who knows how to lay a table with the knives and forks in the right places." Caine appreciates Nolan's take on the film, gleaned in three hours of conversation. "[Nolan] said, 'We're going to have a human hero in Batman. He's powerful because he does pushups. Where does he get all his weapons? Because he's a multibillionaire, and he's in the arms business, so he gets the secret weapons instantly. Why does he wear the bloody suit? To scare the s--t out of people, because he doesn't really want to fight.'" Not satisfied with that, Caine then trundled over to CHUD for another interview, where he said the film's budget is, "$135 million. It's so nice to be in something like that. I'm usually going around with the guys who say, 'Can you share a car?'" We love this guy already ... Finaly, Variety reports that Katie Holmes screen tested well with Christian Bale, and is being offered the romantic lead for the movie. Whether that's Talia or a new character, no one is certain.

MUTANT X

Comics Continuum has the latest (images and plot synopsis) on the syndicated "Mutant X" television series, talking about the January 12 episode "No Exit." We had to include the gun-toting picture, just so we could tell you that the image shows Karen Cliche as Lexa (left) and Victoria Pratt as Shalimar. An actress named Cliche and a character named after an eighties soul group -- splendid! The Continuum also has a complete rundown of all the episodes this season.

CATWOMAN

Superherohype claims an exclusive scoop (must be nice) on the Halle Berry action movie. Seems that a familiar name will pop up in business dealings, the costume is still being tweaked, and Catwoman will do "a LOT of scratching." Mrowr!

DC'S AVI ARAD

Variety also reports that DC has just signed up their own cinematic czar to help usher them back to the silver screens (in a more regular fashion, we'd assume). Gregory Noveck has been hired to the new position of Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs, a position called their "Man in Hollywood." The article went on to say, "In his new position, Noveck will be responsible for exploring DC Comics' vast, and so far largely underused, character universe. Many of those characters -- including Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash -- had been gathering dust, and Noveck's charge is to identify characters and properties that lend themselves to Warner Bros. and New Line feature films and television skeins, and to establish relationships within the creative community. While Warner Bros. Pictures has successfully exploited two DC icons in Batman and Superman (and has pics based on 'Catwoman,' 'Wonder Woman' and 'Constantine' in various stages of production), 'creatively, we have barely scratched the surface of DC,' said Jeff Robinov, president of production at Warner Bros. Pictures. His mandate will be to push DC Comics characters beyond initial successes like TV's 'Smallville' and Cartoon Network's 'Justice League' and delve into the myriad characters -- some cult, some mainstream -- to make a variety of pics at different pricepoints, just as arch-rival Marvel Comics has done with low-budget 'The Punisher' at Artisan and pricey 'Hulk' at Universal."

SMALLVILLE

Dark Horizons cornered Tom Welling about his "super" role, and got some interesting tidbits. He didn't confirm nor deny involvement in a "Superman" film, talks about the dynamics of power on the show, and gives the juicy dirt about the Lana thing. Finally, just to prove they haven't signed off for the year, Kryptonsite notes that Tom Welling wil be on "Regis & Kelly" Tuesday, December 16.

WATCHMEN

Yahoo! Upcoming Movies claims to know of "continuing progress towards an actual movie adaptation," but their page update simply notes possible release dates with no back up references. Argh!

WHAT YOU SAY?

If you have the scoop on anything related to comic book movies, TV adaptations or just want to give us a truck full of cash, no questions asked, drop us a line and let's coordinate. You can choose an alias if you'd like, or be mentioned by name -- we honor requests for anonymity. Broadcasting live from Los Angeles, this is your humble scribe Hannibal Tabu saying thanks for your time and indulgence, and (insert pithy sign-off here, once it gets out of development hell).